Additional background
Not happy with some of the backgrounds found in the players handbook, some of these might be applicable, feel free to change them around, even use personality traits, flaws etc from other backgrounds if you feel they fit it better, after all it is entirely about how you want to make your character. Inquisitor You have dedicated your life to seeking out and exposing the agents of evil wherever they hide. You are an agent of a powerful church, a representative of the local government, or possibly a deputized freelancer. You may be truly dedicated to your cause, or simply do it for the thrill of the hunt. Whether you are feared, respected, or despised, one thing is certain: you get results. Primary Quarry There is one sort of malefactor that you are particularly keen to expose and destroy. Roll on the table below, or choose one of the following threats to designate as your primary quarry (or create your own): d8 Quarry 1) Witches 2) Devil worshippers 3) Demon cultists 4) Necromancers 5) Far Realm cultists 6) Shapeshifters 7) Dragon cultists 8) Vampires Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Intimidation Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A warm woolen cloak, a badass hat, a tattered treatise on the loathsome habits of your primary quarry, a symbol of your authority, a disguise kit, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15gp. Feature: Vested Authority Witch hunters are treated with respect (and more than a little fear) as they travel the land, for no one wishes to attract their attention, or their ire. When you present the symbol of your authority in the declared pursuit of your duties, you and your associates can expect to be given reasonable food, drink, and lodging at no cost in most establishments, as well as the cooperation of most locals and low-level government officials (burgomeisters, mayors, town councils). You may not always find nobles and royalty so accommodating, however (especially if they have something to hide). Suggested Characteristics Witch hunters are by their nature loners, though they may travel and work with a small circle of trusted colleagues, specialists, and hirelings. Though they serve the common good and protect the innocent from evil, they are often as feared and shunned as those they hunt. d8 Personality Trait 1 I pay extremely close attention to anything said to me. 2 My authority cannot be denied by mere bureaucrats and functionaries. 3 I do not speak until I have studied someone thoroughly, head to toe. 4 The smallfolk are right to fear me, for none of their secrets are safe from me. 5 My demeanour is jocular and friendly, but my cold eyes tell a different story. 6 I try to keep people off guard by suggesting they may have something to hide. 7 I always answer a question with a question. 8 When I find the object of my hunt, I prefer to let my associates take care of the dirty work. d6 Ideal 1 Order. I do what I must to protect the rightful order of things. (Lawful) 2 Greater Good. Everything I do is in the service of the people of this land. (Good) 3 Power. I will gladly take advantage of these uncertain times to better myself. (Chaotic) 4 Balance. The scales of good and evil must not be allowed to go out of balance. (Neutral) 5 Fear. Those who stand in the way of my mission will be eliminated. (Evil) 6 Destiny. I have been called to destroy a great evil, and I will never turn from my mission. (Any) d6 Bond 1 Nothing is more important to me than serving my order. 2 Once I have given my oath, I will die before I break it. 3 First and foremost, I always look out for number one: myself. 4 I want nothing more than to earn the respect of the common folk. 5 My companions are the only people I can truly trust in this world. 6 A terrible enemy killed my betrothed. I will not rest until they are avenged. d6 Flaw 1 There is nothing I won't do to accomplish my mission. 2 I frequently take advantage of the authority given to me. 3 I knowingly condemned an innocent to death. Their blood is on my hands. 4 Once I have located my target, I will never stop pursuing them, no matter the danger. 5 I know in my heart of hearts that I can never truly trust anyone. 6 I am a fraud; if I am ever discovered, my life will be in grave danger Sheriff You were a big fish in a small pond--a small-town sheriff dealing with petty crimes and angry neighbors. Or perhaps you were an overworked figurehead--a Captain of the town guard caught between a large populace and a clueless City Council. Either way, you are familiar with baser instincts and the bureaucracies needed to contain them. Skill Proficiencies: Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Insight) Tool Proficiencies: Jailer'sTools (Locks, Manacles, chains and other restraints, and the tools needed to maintain them), Vehicles (Land) Equipment: (2) Locks, Manacles, Magnifying Glass, Spyglass, Signet Ring, Sealing Wax, small Notebook, Quill, Ink, Common clothes, Deck of cards, Leather pouch with 10 gp Feature: Cut the Crap You know how things get done in town governments. Often it's as simple as divining which palms get greased, who's ego gets stroked, or who to intimidate or ignore. Town guards feel comfortable dealing with you, and will often feed you info or let things slide. Suggested Characteristics Used to being in charge, you often find it difficult to stand back and let others make decisions. Dealing with thieves and bullies is especially trying--almost to the point of distraction. Your inclination to study people and figure them out can put you at odds with others who keep to themselves. d8 Personality * 1 The common folk respond well to a catchy phrase. I'm always trying to find ones to explain a situation. * 2 I feel more comfortable around the tools of my trade than around other people--my gear is always immaculately maintained. * 3 A ready smile and quick laugh do more to disarm a situation than a scowl and a sword. * 4 I'm completely unaware of how openly and intensely I study people sometimes. * 5 You can often hear important things during a game of cards--I try and start a game whenever I can. * 6 Most folks are rotten to the core--no sense in pretending otherwise. * 7 I swear that someone I've jailed in the past is after revenge. * 8 I've seen it all--nothing worries me too much. d6 Ideal * 1 Strict: Rules exist for a reason: I strive to show how important that is. (Lawful) * 2 Protector: People need to be protected from the evils of this world, and I'm the one to do it. (Good) * 3 Relaxed: Who cares how it happens as long as it gets done. (Chaos) * 4 Seeker: I believe there is a pure truth to be uncovered in every situation. (Unaligned) * 5 Touchy: Anyone who crosses me pays with their life. (Evil) * 6 Uniter: I know I can bring good people together where I go--as a group we can excel. (Good) d6 Bond * 1 I secretly cherish a scrap of cloth that belonged to my dead spouse. * 2 My work defines me--I'm nothing without a mystery to solve. * 3 I keep a horrible scar hidden from view--but I'll never forget how I got it. * 4 In my youth I wronged someone--I hope to someday pay them back. * 5 Having witnessed a terrible crime, it drives me prevent similar acts. * 6 I couldn't do what I do alone. My companions always have my help. d6 Flaw * 1 I have a deep mistrust for races other than my own. * 2 Exerting control over others gives me pleasure. * 3 I have a hard time accepting that I'm wrong. * 4 It would hard for me to make through a day without drinking. * 5 I tend to get too rough with prisoners. * 6 I hate people who come whining for help when I think they should be able to help themselves. Slave You were sold into or perhaps raised in bondage. Did you escape from slavery or earn your freedom through charity or other methods? Your life has been one of hard labor and little joy but the bonds that claim your body never claimed your spirit . You are well acquainted with suffering and hardship so you are more than ready for whatever travails your new profession can bring. Skill Proficiency: Wisdom (Insight), Wisdom (Survival) Languages: Pick any 1 Tool Proficiencies: Artisan’s tool-set (Pick one that reflects your life as a slave.) Equipment: Traveler’s clothes, Quarterstaff, backpack Feature: Blend In: You are marked with a brand that denotes you are/were property. Hard labor does not worry you in the least. You bear any burden of hardship with silent stoicism. Other slaves will provide you reliable information on the nearby area and the locations of safe hiding places, sources of food and water and how to avoid the local authorities. Suggested Characteristics Former slaves tend to be uncomfortable around authority figures for fear that they will be dragged back to their former lives. Loyal to their friends without fail and more comfortable when unnoticed, slaves prefer to speak little of their former status and past unless pressed. d8 Personality # You don’t make eye-contact with anyone of higher social standing than you. You are shy. # You are painfully naïve about many basic things in life. You are simple. # You only speak when spoken to. You are submissive. # I will make anyone of the race/people/family of my owner suffer whenever I can. You are vengeful. # I was set free by my master for he saw greatness in me. I am aspirational. # I have lost my family, my people and my purpose. I am burdened with grief. # You are slow to trust and will die before you are ever put in bondage again. # I seek power over others. I wish to be feared and respected. d6 Ideal # Freedom: I will live life to the fullest now after experiencing nothing but hunger and want. (Chaos) # Wrath: I am without pity or empathy. I have been made numb to suffering. (Evil) # Sympathetic: I cannot bear to witness the suffering of innocents. (Good) # Jaded: The world is a hard, unfeeling place. Only the strong or the lucky survive. (Neutral) # Justice: Slavery is a grievous injustice that I will not tolerate. (Lawful) # Family: There is no bond greater than blood. (Any) d6 Bond # I have a family somewhere that is still enslaved. # If I can only collect enough gold, I’ll be able to pay off my debts and be a free man (woman). # I yearn for my homeland but can never return. # I am forever indebted to the person that freed me and hope to repay that someday. # I’ve lost my entire family and am just looking for a place I belong. # My independence is the most important thing in my world. d6 Flaw # I am filled with hatred for the race/people that enslaved me, to a violent extreme. # I’m hopelessly addicted to alcohol and seek it out on a daily basis. # I tend to trust no one in authority. # I am without empathy for others that are suffering. # There are times when I forget what I’m supposed to be doing and will wander off. # I’m selfish. After going without for so long, I want everything I can get. Doctors Whether you were a tribal witch-doctor, a medicine-man, a holy healer, a military field medic, or a genuine medical professional from some unusually enlightened society, you specialize in the treatment of suffering. You have seen injury, disease, poison, and death, and still you have defied it all, fighting to save that every last soul. As a medical professional, you have sworn a Hippocratic oath, (code of ethics). You have pledged your life to protect life, that all who suffer are your patient, to support other doctors as family, to train any who swear the oath, to practice to the best of your ability, to always improve upon the art, to practice only your specialization, to practice not for your own gain, to practice within the law, and to keep all of your patients' secrets. Why did you turn away from the medical profession? Or if you haven't, what was it that drew you into the life of the adventurer? And what do you think of the oath, or other doctors? Specialist Each doctor must choose a field of specialization to practice within the broader art of medicine. Skill Proficiencies: WIS (Medicine), INT (Investigation) Tool Proficiencies: Medicine Kit Languages: Elven or Halfling, Dwarvish or Gnomish Equipment: Doctor's Tools (Grants advantage on medicine checks), Healer's Kit or Herbalism Kit, 2-Man Tent, Bedroll, Blanket, Book (About anatomy, Disease, Apothecary, or Surgery), Common Clothes, five bars of Soap, a belt pouch containing 5 gp. Feature: Burden of Life Due to your vow, you are expected to cure the ill, regardless of morals or prejudice, even if they are your enemy. It is considered a horrid evil to intentionally kill a doctor for no reason. As such, intelligent enemies are less likely to target you, and even your enemy patients will at least not attack immediately while under your care. What happens after they leave your care...? Well you can't decide their fate. Restored individuals may be grateful, or feel some form of life-debt to you. Enemies may repay you by specifically choosing not to kill you, or they may give free information, or a scout you once saved may turn a blind eye to your presence. Provided you stay true to your vow, (as best as you can) you can make use of any hospital or medical facility, (typically located in churches, noble estates, universities, and other places of higher learning) as temporary residence for yourself, your patient(s), and your companions if there is room for them. Doctors will put you up at a lifestyle one step below their own if you can maintain a good relationship with them. However, if ever you are proven to have broken your vow, you will be fully and publicly discredited as a doctor, and other doctors who pay attention to medical society will recognize you as such. You and all who are with you will be turned away from mundane medicine and the places it is provided. Because you swore on your life, breaking your vow is technically a personal death sentence, though no doctor true to his vows is free to enact it upon you. Even so, more enlightened nations are likely to have laws regarding the treatment of doctors and their vows, and enlightened does not necessarily mean "kind" or "gentle". It should be noted that this particular background has the potential to spark deep philosophical debates if you play it too hard and fast. If you aren't into that kind of thing, the DM should feel free to loosen up the ethical dilemmas stuff, and have the world approach the medical profession with either a universally black-and-white approach, or a more general approach where the vow is more of a very serious set of spoken guidelines. Suggested Characteristics Doctors may come from many walks of life, but all became enrolled in some place of higher learning, or tutored by a renowned doctor, and eventually swore an oath- and that oath is not a light load to bear. Doctors are often studious, intense, passionate, clinical, intellectual, or unusually calm under extreme stress. Many are troubled by harrowing events they bore witness to. Some are shockingly pragmatic, with an "it may not be pretty, but you'll live" approach to problems. Many are seemingly tireless, hard-working individuals. Some can be inspiring souls, with a deep appreciation, not only for life, but for the person who is alive as well. There is much debate among doctors as to just what the oath means, and what tenets have priority in any given situation. Variant Doctor: Veterinarian Your specialization still stands, but instead of treating people, your art is focused on our fuzzy friends. Exchange Investigation for Animal Handling or Nature. Animals who have been healed do not behave the same way people do. Some more intelligent creatures, such as wolves, may be capable of feeling gratitude, but have limited ability to express such. Monsters are, true to their name, usually incapable of such emotion and will likely just attack the moment they recover. Other doctors may not take you as seriously as you deserve, but anyone who has an important animal, such as a knight's steed or a caster's familiar, will have deep respect for you, for even acknowledging that their animal is worth saving. ARCHAEOLOGIST You spend your days digging up your cultural identity. Looking for things that are lost or forgotten. When not in the filed you spend a good deal of time pouring over what ever books you can find that may yield information on the next great sight. Others may see your obsession as a waste of time, but you know that the past holds the key to the future. Choose a civilization from your DM's setting, not necessarily your own peoples. You are obsessed with learning and whats more touching the history of that civilization. Are you an assistant to a scholar? Perhaps you are an adventurer who is obsessed with obtaining relics from lost civilizations, relics that might provide wealth, power, or both? Or a seeker of knowledge that will bolster your magical studies? Skill Proficiencies: '''History (choose civilization) Cartography '''Languages: '''Two of your choice one ancient '''Equipment: '''A pick and Spade, A 50 page journal, a quill and ink well, Common clothing, Sturdy back pack, a belt pouch containing 0 gold in ivory trinkets, and an ancient, half destroyed map of a fallen city. A set of fine digging tools, small chisels, spades, and, brushes. '''FEATURE Access to the Archivist Guild. The Archivist guild is a secretive group that deals in the collecting, cataloging, study and sometimes resale of ancient relics. The guild collects a great deal of news and rumors about possible locations ripe for excavation. When a site interests the guild greatly they will sometimes pool their resources to fun a full fledged expedition. Often there's not enough interest in each location to fund expeditions, you can benefit fro this by taking on those open assignments. You can go to the guild seeing minor magical items that may help with excavations, such as comprehend languages scrolls, or specialized tools. Expedition items purchased through the guild are 10 + your level % cheaper for you than they would be for other non guild members, with the agreement that you sell you finds exclusively through the guild.Violation of this agreement can mean expulsion. SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS Archeologists are driven by their desire to learn about the distant past and are not satisfied to simply read it in a book. This makes them very knowledgeable companions in the right circumstance and gives them a surprisingly adventurous and curious outlook for an academic type. Their flaws might be an underlying greed that drives them, or an unfettered competitiveness to be the first to claim a find that might lead them into unknown dangers. Category:Character choice